The present invention relates generally to the field of commercial steam cooking devices.
Modern steam ovens operate by heating water to generate steam and then supplying the steam to a cooking cavity containing food. Some of these steam ovens operate at low pressures, slightly above atmospheric, while others are openly vented to atmosphere. For either arrangement, one concern to designers is ensuring the proper distribution of steam within the cooking cavity for optimum cooking. Some available steam ovens use forced recirculation of steam in the cooking cavity, such as by using a recirculation fan connected to the cooking cavity, in order to make the cooking more efficient. However, the efficient distribution of steam without the use of forced circulation has been elusive. Further, most commercially available steam ovens require a substantial amount of time, on the order of 15–20 minutes, in order to start generating steam once the steam oven is turned on. Obviously, shortening this delay between turning on the steam oven and steam generation would lead to better energy efficiency and increased user satisfaction. However, efforts directed to shortening the delay have not yet resulted in significant success. Finally, the control systems for steam ovens can sometimes be overly complicated, leading to increased costs.